Middle-earth: Shadow of War announced and Collector's Edition revealed!

So, right after the leak by a retailer, Warner Bros. has gone ahead and officially announced Middle-earth: Shadow of War. This is the sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which earned very positive reviews.

and here's the announcement trailer!

Epic trailer (with Epic Monster Roar!), this is the kind of trailer that just makes you want to play it right now! 

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much when Shadow of Mordor came out, but after all that amazing reviews, I got the GOTY edition. Haven't gotten around to playing it yet however, but seeing this makes me want to start on it right now!

However, August 22 2017 is the date set for it's release, but we can expect to see some game-play on March 8.

In addition to the Standard Edition, there will be a Gold Edition which will include:
- Slaughter Tribe Nemesis Expansion
- Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion
- The Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion
- The Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion
- Gold War Chest
- Over $125 in total value

Hardcore fans, however will by eyeing the Mithril Edition, which will come with a a 12-inch diorama of a Tar-Goroth Balrog battling a Carnan Drake.

Pic here isn't the best but that just sounds freaking epic.

This amazing CE will consist of:

- Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Gold Edition with Exclusive Steelcase

- Premium Case with Magnetic Ring of Power

- Exclusive Mithril War Chest

- Official Game Music Soundtrack

- Limited Edition 12" Tar-Goroth Balrog vs. Carnan Drake Statue

- Cloth Map of Mordor

- Collection of Exclusive Lithographs

- Tribe Sticker Pack

- Collector's Box

I know I would definitely be wanting this if I was a Lord of the Rings fan!

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Toy Fair 2017: McFarlane Toys' Borderlands 2 Figures

More from Toy Fair 2017!

McFarlane Toys revealed some Borderlands 2 Figures with Handsome Jack leading this new line of figures..

This looks like it will be part of the Color Tops line. They also revealed that Tiny Tina will also be released.. 

Cool news! It's been too long a wait for some Borderlands 2 figures but... I'm not too convinced about this line being a good choice for the Borderlands 2 characters.

I have the Assassin's Creed Connor figure which was also part of the Color Tops line.. The articulation is very very minimal. It didn't bother me too much because I already owned the more articulated Assassin's Creed figures.

However, with these Borderlands ones, I would have hoped for something more articulated and with more accessories. In fact, would have preferred to see something under the 1:12 scale, similar to what Storm Collectibles and Mezco Toyz have been doing. With a lot more articulation, details and gun accessories.

That said, I would still probably get these due to the lack of other options and the relatively low price range. I definitely need more Vault Hunters in my life!

Source: ToyArk, ToyNewsi

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Toy Fair 2017: Storm Collectibles' Mortal Kombat Klassic Figures

Storm Collectibles were at Toy Fair 2017 last weekend with their 1:12 Mortal Kombat Klassic Figures and this time there was a new figure on display!

This is the first time Reptile has been shown, as far as I know. He looks great and I love the head! The acid slime on his hand pose however looks way too similar to the PCS 1/3 Reptile. However, this is a figure so the accessories & pose can definitely be switched around.

No other accessories have been shown but I would want to see the masked headsculpt and of course an acid spit accessory included.

Also on display was the Shao Kahn figure..

Already seen Shao Kahn several times, but I'm definitely more excited for him than Reptile. Look at his size, in comparison to Reptile..

They haven't officially announced that the throne will be included but it's been displayed together in every convention so far, so I'm putting my money on it being included.

Storm Collectibles' Street Fighter line have been moving faster than the Mortal Kombat one. Like a lot of Mortal Kombat figures before this, the same usual characters are being produced. The original 3 ninjas and also Shao Kahn. Goro was shown some time back but in all recent conventions, he has been missing. Hopefully, they are just redoing him and not cancelled. 

Here's 1 more pic of their first 2 figures..

Will be posting pics and thoughts about the Scorpion figure very soon and also of SubZero once I receive mine! 

Hoping to see more diverse characters from this line in the future!

Source: ToyArk, Toynewsi

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Play-Asia offering Free Shipping for a Week!

Some great news! Play-Asia will be offering free shipping globally from now till Feb 28!

• All orders will be shipped through registered airmail ONLY. 
• Maximum order weight is 1KG.
• Order value must be more than $10 USD. 
• Applicable to customers globally.
• Promotion ends February 28th, 11:59 PM PST.

With tons of Asia Exclusives including a variety from Japan, this is a great time to get something that you have always wanted but can't bring yourself to pay the shipping costs. There's also some really good discounts at the Daily & Weekly Deals section.

Do check it out and maybe you will find something! (You can say thanks by using this affiliate link before purchasing something!)

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For Honor's Season Pass detailed

With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.. likewise.. With Ubisoft comes Season Pass..

Love it or Hate it, For Honor will come with a Season Pass and these are the content that it will include:

• Six new Heroes – These will be released in batches of two at the beginning of each new season of the Faction War. Season Pass owners will have access to these Heroes seven days before they are available to all players. After the Season Pass early access period, these Heroes can be unlocked with Steel, For Honor’s in-game currency that can be earned by completing matches and in-game challenges.

• Six elite outfits to customize the new heroes

• Exclusive sunbeam effect on emotes for all Heroes

• Three exclusive emblem outlines

• Three scavenger crates that unlock additional gear

• 30-Day Champion Status – Gives XP boosts to you and your friends, as well as more XP from crafting and more loot at the end of matches.

In addition to the Season Pass content, For Honor will feature free downloadable content that will be released over the course of the three seasons. This content includes new maps, modes, and gear that will be available to all players, but Season Pass owners will have an early access period for some elements of this content as well.



To be honest, The Season Pass only seems to have Exclusive Cosmetic items. The Scavenger Crates & 30-Day Champion Status feel a bit like pay-to-win stuff as it gives an early advantage over others. 

The new heroes, maps and modes & gear are all early-access only. So it feels like Season Pass holders aren't really paying for any real extra content. 

That said, it is good that the new heroes & extra playable content will be made available to everyone. So that the online community won't get split over the different modes and maps.

Definitely some factors to consider before throwing the extra cash for the Season Pass..

Gameplay Footage & Thoughts from the For Honor Closed Beta

The previous Chinese/Lunar New Year weekend was a long break for us and it was a nice timing for For Honor to have its Closed Beta... managed to get some valuable playtime on the Beta and had lots of fun.

Here's most of the gameplay footage that I recorded..

Played a bit from each faction.. My personal favourite is the Raider Class from the Vikings. Samurai aren't too bad, their long range really helps.. but I just totally sucked at the Knights. 

Didn't try out all the classes however but that was intentional. Hopefully focusing on a few classes to familiarize myself will give me a slight advantage when the game releases.. Haha!

The game has gradually grown on me.. Had no intention to get it initially but with friends interested in getting this and now having experienced the Beta, I'm very hyped for the game. The 2v2 and 1v1 modes are a real test of our fighting skills and it's very satisfying when you get that hard-earned victory.

The 4v4 Dominion mode is more of a team match where it's all about how well you can work with your team-mates. Unfortunately if you don't have the numbers, you will have to make do with randoms. It isn't that bad though.. Dominion is pretty straightforward so it was still fun.

In fact, I met a very cool opponent online! If you saw the first video, me and Furdaos were playing 2v2 and when this guy defeated one of us, he didn't go 2v1 on the remaining person. He actually let us finish our duel before going for a 1v1 with us. We thought that was very cool of him and we did likewise. Respect for him!

Definitely had a fun time and looking forward to the game on Feb 14. Of course, there is a Open Beta this weekend too, so anyone of you can join us! The Open Beta is ready to download already so you can start preparing before the weekend.

Not for nothing.. The Faction War has already started and based on Closed Beta stats.. the winner are the Vikings!

It's not too late though..

Everyone who participated in the Closed Beta, gets the rewards on the right.. 

However, the shiny Rewards on the left will only be rewarded to the winning faction at the end of the Open Beta. So, yes definitely, the stakes are high! 

The signs are there folks.. The Vikings won the first round so let's keep it that way! 

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PCS Collectibles' 1/3 SubZero Collection Pics

The first of the PCS Collectibles' Mortal Kombat 1/3 line has arrived! SubZero, the Lin Kuei Ninja, as seen in his MK1 Costume in 1/3 Statue form!

Before we get to the statue itself, let's take a look at the Artbox..

Beautiful and massive! That's 1 huge box!

ES #304 of 350

Instructions & the famous gloves!

Some pics of the icy base..

Not too elaborate, and therefore not taking the focus away from the statue itself. It's a themed base however, with ice all over and the Lin Kuei symbol around the sides. Reminds me of that fight between SubZero and Scorpion in the Mortal Kombat Legacy webisodes..

 The thickness of it also contributes to the overall height of the statue giving it more presence in a display. Also, there's blood splatter on the ice because.. if you don't know why, keep scrolling..

Apart from the head and hands, the statue is 1 full piece which is makes the box as huge as it is.. Nicely packed as well..

This is how the base looks after putting in the statue..

Kind of wish there was a bit more texturing on the feet section as it looks really plain.

Closer look at the rest of his outfit..

Cloth material feels good. Again blood splatter all over..

The blue outfit is definitely not the same as the prototype. It's several shades lighter and while it does look more accurate to the original Mortal Kombat game, it does feel a bit strange to be shown something at PO and to receive another..

I feel that the community will be split over the choice of blue but nevertheless, it looks good.

Now for the hands.. On the left is the icy hand.

There's 2 switch-out right hands..

One as shown above.. and the other below with pegs..

For that Spine Rip Accessory..

The last pic shows the peg holes for the hand to hold on to the bloody and gruesome accessory..

Looks fantastic but I have a slight concern here.. Firstly, the peg holes are the only thing that's supporting the accessory, no magnets here. Once it's put in, it's definitely secure but when you move the statue about, it does wobble. 

Throughout this photoshoot, I have been rotating the statue around and it has not dropped so it should be fine but it's definitely a cause for concern if I'm going to display it without a case. Would have liked something a bit more secure, maybe a magnet or the accessory being sculpted together with the hand.

Secondly, for those who had the MK9 EX Kitana. had some issues where the hand would drop off because of the weight of the fan blades and the weak magnets. The magnet on SubZero is a lot stronger but there's still a slight worry that it could drop off someday.

Nothing alarming so far, but it's just something I'm a little concerned about..

Moving on to the head..

Badass!!

There was a bit of alarm when the first pics of this statue came out but as you can see here, it looks fantastic!

Edit!

When taken out of the box, the bottom of the mask sits under his chin. I adjusted the mask to make it sit on his chin now, to give the head a rounder effect, which is closer to the original prototype..

Continue on to see the original pics I took. There's definitely a difference now..

Back to the hand without the Ripped Spine..

The Ice Ball lights up with this AC Adapter.. No USB or battery option here. And for those outside of the US, you might need a travel adapter to plug it into your power source..

Let's turn off the lights..

Ok maybe not all the lights..

Sick!!

and finally just a couple more shots with that beauty of an Artbox..

I'm more than pleased with how this has turned out.. Badass with a huge presence, this is going to look amazing in any collection. Had my reservations if it will all be worth it and I'm convinced! 1/3 Scorpion should be coming in from PCS this month hopefully and 1/3 Reptile soon after that. I just might have to hunt down the ladies and save up for that Goro PO coming up. Amazing!

One last one before I close.. Had to ask for a few favours so I could get the pics to you asap, so very thankful to those who helped and hopefully you can show some appreciation by hitting that 'Like' button below. Hope you enjoyed the pics!!

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